Remarkable double cluster
55.
Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of our neighbouring dwarf galaxies, this
young globular-like star cluster is surrounded by a pattern of filamentary nebulosity
that is thought to have been created during supernova blasts. It consists of a main
globular cluster in the centre and a younger, smaller cluster, seen below and to the right,
composed of extremely hot, blue stars and fainter, red T-Tauri stars. This wide variety of
stars allows a thorough study of star formation processes.
Credit: ESA, NASA and Martino Romaniello (European Southern Observatory, Germany)
“Just last year, we carried out a massive program, one of Hubble’s largest,
in which we obtained a series of spectra of an active galaxy, a quasar-like
object with a central black hole that is actively accreting mass.
“We obtained one observation per day for half a year, allowing us to make
a movie of how it evolves with time and how its inner structure changes.
“The data are beautiful and we’re only now in the early stages of trying to
interpret it.”
— Dr. Bradley M. Peterson & Dr. Gisella De Rosa
Professor and Chair of Astronomy
Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio
Visiting Astronomer
Space Telescope Science Institute
Baltimore, Maryland